The Duke of Sussex will celebrate his 40th birthday on 15 September, so we thought we'd take a look back at his royal relatives on their own milestone birthday.
Official portraits are often released to mark such occasions, with the royals celebrating in private with their nearest and dearest.
The likes of King Charles and the Duchess of Edinburgh have even carried out engagements on their birthdays, and duty also called for Queen Elizabeth II.
Take a look back in the gallery below…
1/9
© GettyQueen Elizabeth II
The late Queen attended the State Opening of Parliament in all her finery the day after her 40th birthday in April 1966. It was a momentous occasion as it marked the first time the full ceremony was televised.
2/9
© GettyKing Charles
Then Prince Charles celebrated his 40th birthday publicly at Witton tram shed in Birmingham in 1988, where he was greeted with a tiered cake and a badge which read: "Life Begins at 40".
3/9
© ShutterstockPrincess Anne
The Princess Royal celebrated her 40th birthday with a private party at her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire, but according to reports at the time, her future second husband, Vice Admiral Laurence, was absent from the bash. Here, Anne is pictured wearing a white dress with padded shoulders as she attended a dinner at Grosvenor House Hotel.
4/9
© GettyThe Duke of Edinburgh
The late Queen and Prince Philip's youngest child, Prince Edward, turned 40 in March 2004, just a few months after he and wife, Sophie, welcomed their first child, Lady Louise Windsor, in November 2003.
5/9
© GettyThe Duchess of Edinburgh
Sophie beamed as she was inundated with balloons and gifts as she opened a new Sixth Form Centre at Collingwood College in Camberley, Surrey.
6/9
© GettyZara Tindall
Princess Anne's daughter, Zara, pictured at Royal Ascot, celebrated her 40th birthday two months after welcoming her third child, Lucas, in May 2021.
7/9
© GettyMeghan Markle
To mark her 40th birthday in August 2021, The Duchess of Sussex appeared in a video to launch a new women's work mentoring initiative. Earlier that summer, Meghan gave birth to her second child, Princess Lilibet.
8/9
© GettyThe Princess of Wales
Kate, pictured at Wimbledon, was captured by renowned photographer Paolo Roversi, for three stunning official portraits to mark her 40th birthday in January 2022.
9/9
© GettyThe Prince of Wales
Prince William, pictured in Cambridgeshire after his 40th birthday, volunteered with the Big Issue for his milestone in June 2022.
LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!
If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with all things royalty – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…
What is it?
Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal Inner Circle.
Member benefits
- Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
- Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
- Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
- Participate in polls, comments and discussion threads
- Royal-themed puzzles with a weekly prize to be won
- Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
- Invitations to in-person and virtual events
- A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
- Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits
By royal decree
You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!
